AUTHOR=Grabež Vladana , Mydland Liv Torunn , Papoutsis Dimitrios , Øverland Margareth , Egelandsdal Bjørg 

TITLE=Effect of low-dose blanched Saccharina latissima in finishing bulls’ diets on carcass and meat quality traits

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Animal Science

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/animal-science/articles/10.3389/fanim.2023.1233244

DOI=10.3389/fanim.2023.1233244

ISSN=2673-6225

ABSTRACT=<p>Nutritional and bioactive compounds present in seaweeds make them suitable supplements or feed ingredients in livestock diets. This study assessed the effect of blanched seaweed (<italic>Saccharina latissima</italic>) as a supplement in finishing bulls’ diets on carcass traits and the quality of the <italic>longissimus lumborum</italic> (LL) and <italic>semimembranosus</italic> (SM) muscles. A concentration of 0.8% dry matter of blanched <italic>S. latissima</italic> in bulls’ diets was the maximum amount allowed, owing to iodine and arsenic thresholds in animal feed. Nineteen Limousin crossbreed bulls were randomly assigned to two groups, fed a control (CD, <italic>n</italic> = 9) diet or a test diet supplemented with blanched seaweed (SW, <italic>n</italic> = 10), and fed for 48 days pre slaughter. The carcasses from the bulls finished on a seaweed-supplemented diet were heavier (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) than those in the control group, while levels of conformation and fatness were similar between the groups (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05). The pH was lower (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) in the LL of CD-fed animals in early <italic>post mortem</italic> than in the LL of SW-fed animals, whereas no differences (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05) were found in the ultimate pH. The meat from the bulls fed both diets had a similar (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05) drip loss and shear force at days 7 and 14. The cooking loss at day 7 was not affected (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05) by diet, whereas on day 14 the cooking loss was greater (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) for SW than for CD meat. Warmed-over flavor and shear force were muscle dependent and lower (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) for LL than SM. Seaweed supplementation in finishing bulls’ diets had no clear effect on color changes (<italic>L</italic>*, <italic>a</italic>*, and <italic>b</italic>* values) during chilled storage, although reduced <italic>b</italic>* values (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) suggest an improved color stability of meat from SW- compared with CD-fed animals. The iodine content was higher (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) in the SW meat than in the CD meat, even when using the low seaweed supplementation level requested by the authorities. A small increase of arsenic in the meat with seaweed supplementation has no implications on human health. Cost-efficient processing methods for the further reduction of iodine and arsenic are needed to increase the utilization of seaweed as a feed additive/ingredient and attain a clear effect on meat quality.</p>